The Twelve: A Review

In 2011, I read Justin Cronin‘s The Passage(you can read all about it here). I loved that book, but was so disappointed when I got the end and discovered that there was a second book I would have to wait for. So I was really excited when its sequel, The Twelve, finally made an appearance on the shelf of my local bookstore. I bought it the day it came out and then it just sat on my own book shelf for about four months. Last week I finally got around to reading it and it was definitely worth the wait!

For those of you not familiar with The Passage, it is set in the future and sees small pockets of human kind struggling to survive in a world that is now dominated by vampires, after an army science experiment gone wrong. The Twelve picks up where the original left off in the hunt for the twelve original vampires, but also takes us back to the weeks after day zero – when the breakout originally occurred. In these chapters, we learn more about the origin of some of the main characters, so when you’re reading about something that seems to have little to do with the overall story, don’t worry. It has plenty to do with the story, so make sure you pay attention. It moves at a reasonably fast pace, similar to The Passage, but I found the writing to be much more relaxed and slightly more converstaional. It’s almost though Cronin has settled into the story and just wants to tell it now.

Overall, this book was just as thrilling as it’s predecessor and was near impossible to put down. It did take a while to wrap everything up, and I question whether it was necessary to include everything that was there. At times it felt as though there were a few things put in there just to fill out the book a bit, but by no means did the story move at a slow pace, nor did anything not relate to the story in the grand scheme of things. I would recommend though, that if you are going to read this, that you re-read The Passage, as there is quite a lot to remember and I really struggled. There were some things that didn’t quite make sense to me as it’s been so long since I read the first book, but I persevered and finished it anyway.

However, I am sorry to say that the story isn’t over. The ending is left wide open and after spending some time on Google, my suspicions have been confirmed – there will be a third instalment. Hopefully not too far away, but at least I have an excuse to read The Passage and The Twelve again. The waiting game has begun.